Amanda Van Dusen

Michigan

Miller Canfield Paddock and Stone, PLC
150 West Jefferson Ave.
Suite 2500
Detroit, MI 48226

Tel: +1.313.496.7512

Email: vandusen@millercanfield.com
Web: www.millercanfield.com

Professional Biography

After more than 40 years in practice, Amanda Van Dusen has built a distinguished career advising public education institutions across Michigan, earning recognition as one of the state’s most respected education and public finance attorneys.

She has been honored by Best Lawyers in America every year since 2003 for her work in education law, public finance, municipal law, banking and finance law, and government relations. She was named Education Lawyer of the Year in 2012 and 2021, and Detroit Public Finance Lawyer of the Year in 2015, 2017, and 2025—recognition that reflects both the depth of her experience and her long-standing commitment to serving public entities.

Amanda’s practice is deeply rooted in representing school districts (K-12 and higher education) on complex financial, governance, and regulatory matters. She serves as bond counsel in financing transactions and as special counsel in connection with intergovernmental agreements, elections, campaign finance compliance, state and federal tax issues, and core financial operations including budgeting, revenue structuring, and cash flow management. Her work with educational institutions requires close coordination with state officials and education stakeholders, particularly where funding structures, statutory mandates, and public accountability intersect.

Amanda has played a central role in some of Michigan’s most significant public education matters, including advising Detroit Public Schools in developing innovative solutions to support struggling schools and students. Her experience guiding the City of Detroit through and beyond bankruptcy further strengthened her ability to navigate high-stakes, multi-layered public sector challenges—insight she regularly applies to education clients operating in complex fiscal and regulatory environments. Known for breaking down sophisticated legal and financial concepts into clear, actionable guidance, Amanda helps school boards, administrators, and public officials make informed decisions that balance risk, opportunity, and long-term community impact.

In addition to her client work, Amanda has held numerous leadership roles within her firm and remains actively involved in nonprofit boards and initiatives focused on education, public policy, the arts, and community development throughout Michigan.

Miller Canfield’s Higher Education Finance team represents most of the public universities in Michigan as well as a number of public and private colleges and universities and community colleges throughout the Midwest. Whether we are helping a client find the best way to finance new campus facilities, evaluate public-private partnerships or other alternative financing structures, or comply with federal tax law and its complexities, we do so with a full understanding of the web of considerations faced by institutions of higher learning.

Members of Miller Canfield’s Higher Education Finance team work closely with our Higher Education industry team, which includes highly skilled attorneys from virtually every practice group in the firm, each with deep knowledge of their respective areas of law and a wealth of experience applying that knowledge to the unique legal, political and practical challenges facing higher education clients.

Miller Canfield’s Higher Education Finance team advises universities and colleges on an array of financing transactions, including fixed- and variable-rate tax-exempt and taxable bond issues, commercial paper programs, master lease transactions, operating and cashflow borrowings, interest rate swaps and other derivatives transactions, and project financings.

In addition to serving as bond counsel, we serve as underwriter’s counsel to leading national and regional investment banking firms in the underwriting of tax-exempt and taxable obligations issued by or on behalf of institutions of higher education. We also serve as counsel to banks and other financial institutions providing credit or liquidity support for higher education financing.

Miller Canfield Paddock and Stone, PLC is a full-service law firm providing comprehensive legal counsel to businesses, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, governmental entities, and nonprofit institutions across the United States and internationally. Founded in 1852, the firm has built a longstanding reputation for delivering sophisticated, business-focused legal solutions supported by deep industry knowledge and a collaborative service model. Miller Canfield is particularly recognized for advising clients on complex regulatory, transactional, and cross-border matters.

The firm maintains offices in key markets including Detroit, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and several locations throughout Michigan, as well as an international presence in select global jurisdictions. This broad platform enables Miller Canfield to represent regional, national, and international clients ranging from middle-market companies and multinational corporations to public entities and emerging enterprises operating across multiple jurisdictions.

Miller Canfield offers a wide spectrum of legal services encompassing corporate and mergers and acquisitions, commercial litigation, labor and employment, healthcare law, real estate, environmental and energy law, intellectual property, tax, and government relations. The firm is widely regarded for its strengths in cross-border transactions, economic development, and public sector representation, assisting clients with strategic planning, regulatory compliance, and complex dispute resolution aligned with long-term operational and growth objectives.